The Magician's Own Book, or, the Whole Art of Conjuring / Being a complete hand-book of parlor magic, and containing over one thousand optical, chemical, mechanical, magnetical, and magical experiments, amusing transmutations, astonishing sleights and subtleties, celebrated card deceptions, ingenious tricks with numbers, curious and entertaining puzzles, together with all the most noted tricks of modern performers.

by George Arnold; Frank Cahill

Request the person to convey any number, as 4, for example, from the one hand to the other, and then ask how many times the less number is contained in the greater. Let us suppose that he says the one is the triple of the other; and, in this case, multiply 4, the number of the counters conveyed, by 3, and add to the product the same number, which will make 16. Lastly, take 1 from 3, and if 16 be divided by the remainder 2, the quotient will be the number contained in each hand, and consequently the whole number is 16.

This curious problem deserves another example. Let us again suppose that 4 counters are passed from one hand to the other, and the less number is contained in the greater 2 ¹/₃ times. In this case, we must, as before, multiply 4 by 2 ¹/₃, which will give 9 ¹/₃; to which, if 4 be added, we shall have 13 ¹/₃, or ⁴⁰/₃; if 1, then, be taken from 2 ¹/₃, the remainder will be 1 ¹/₃, or ⁴/₃, by which, if ⁴⁰/₃ be divided, the quotient 10 will be the number of counters in each hand.

THE THREE JEALOUS HUSBANDS.

Three jealous husbands, A, B, and C, with their wives, being ready to pass by night over a river, find at the water side a boat which can carry but two at a time, and for want of a waterman they are compelled to row themselves over the river at several times. The question is how those six persons shall pass, two at a time, so that none of the three wives may be found in the company of one or two men, unless her husband be present?

This may be effected in two or three ways; the following may be as good as any: Let A and wife go over—let A return—let B's and C's wives go over—A's wife returns—B and C go over—B and wife return, A and B go over—C's wife returns, and A's and B's wives go over—then C comes back for his wife. Simple as this question may appear, it is found in the works of Alcuin, who flourished a thousand years ago, hundreds of years before the art of printing was invented.

THE FALSE SCALES.

A cheese being put into one of the scales of a false balance, was found to weigh 16 lbs., and when put into the other only 9 lbs. What is the true weight?

The true weight is a mean proportional between the two false ones, and is found by extracting the square root of their product. Thus 16 × 9 = 144; and square root 144 = 12 lbs., the weight required.

THE APPLE WOMAN.